Doctors in probe call over care of at-risk children
Senior doctors are accusing Scotland’s largest health board of ignoring their views on matters of patient safety – putting the care of children at risk.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has written to the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC), Robert Calderwood, asking for an independent investigation into the way services for vulnerable young people are being run.
The unusual step followed clashes between consultants and managers about changes to the service, which doctors said were being imposed at short notice.
The BMA was at one point on the verge of seeking a court order to stop the health board pushing through its plans without further discussion with senior clinicians.
NHS GGC said its managers were trying to improve services as early as possible.
It is understood to be the first time in at least a decade that the BMA in Scotland has written to a board chief executive demanding an independent inquiry, and turning to the courts would have been unprecedented.
The letter – from Dr Crispin Best, chairman of the GGC committee of the BMA – said “consultants were unanimous in their expressions of concern [about planned changes] but management sought quite intentionally to ignore them”.
The letter, which has been leaked to The Herald, gave two examples of how executives tried to drive through change.
One involved child protection consultants taking over clinics where children considered vulnerable are given a medical assessment. It is understood doctors were anxious about how much time they would have to assess the children and how much access they would have to case histories.
The other expanded the area covered by child and adolescent mental health specialists during evenings and weekends to include Clyde.
There were concerns about staff being spread too thinly.
The letter added: “There were a variety of matters affecting the care of patients that required attention and action before the changes could be implemented safely.
“Issuing a short-notice instruction without consultation was both disrespectful of the position of the senior professional staff expected to implement the change and implied an indifference to ensuring the proper management of change in the interests of patients.”
The BMA is asking Mr Calderwood to launch an independent investigation into the management at East Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership – who run the children and young people’s specialist services.
In a statement, NHS GGC said: “The conflicts relate to arrangements to provide consistent and consultant-level out-of-hours cover to care for seriously mentally ill young people and to provide a structured, consultant- delivered assessment service for vulnerable children. Both of these important service changes, which are vital to the proper care of children, are now in place.
“The issues raised by the BMA relate to different views about an acceptable pace of change, with managers seeking the earliest possible improvement to the services to children.
“There is no doubt that both of these changes have resulted in improved care for children and young people.”
Similar Posts:
- Consultants voice fears over staff plan for paediatric unit
- Watchdog exposes crisis in £3 billion care network
- Swine flu fears give NHS 24 its busiest four-day period ever
- Ambulance staff to receive new medal
- Health Notes – Davis Community to unveil wellness pavilion
